New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon 2 Corinthians 8:7 “Giving My Resource”
March 3, 2019
Listen to this sermon.
We are continuing our look at spiritual practices which as we do them will make us more and more like Jesus. Last week we talked about our time and how that could be used for God’s purposes. Today we will talk about our money and how that too should be used for God’s purposes. We will get to this, but first, let's pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
Our scripture today comes from 2 Corinthians 8:7 “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
“Grace of giving.” What could this be?
The word “grace” has to do with giving or receiving an unmerited favor. Grace is a characteristic of God. God gives us blessings we do not deserve.
Many Christians have a much too narrow view of God’s grace. They believe that Jesus graciously gave up his life on the cross for us so that we would receive by this grace forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life. This is absolutely true. You can count on it. But God’s grace is so much bigger than this.
Consider that God gave you a brand new day this morning. Did you make the sun rise? What did you do to earn this day? How much do you think this day is worth? God created this day and God graciously gave it to you.
Consider the family that God gave you. God placed you with your parents. God brought you and your spouse together. God blesses families with children. How much is family worth to you? Do you have enough money to pay God what your family is worth? Thankfully God has graciously given you your family.
Consider the job you work. Who gave you the abilities and talents to do what needs to be done? Who brought you and the perfect job together? God graciously gives us our talents and abilities. How much are these worth to you? How much are your student loans to God? Thankfully any debt we may owe to God is paid in full by Jesus Christ.
So if by God’s grace we are constantly blessed what should be our response? Bethel folks, “We are blessed to be a … ?
We are created in the image of God. So if a characteristic of God is to graciously bless us then we should gracious bless others. Right?
So what does “grace of giving” mean? It just means that we are to graciously give from our resources as a blessing to others just as God has blessed us.
While on his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul heard that the church in Jerusalem was struggling. He was in Macedonia, so he asked the Macedonian churches to share their resources. Then he wrote, to a wealthier church in Corinth and asked them to do the same, not out of some obligation, but in gratitude for all the blessings they had received from God. Here is what Paul wrote.
2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
So the Macedonian churches were very poor. They were just fisherman. And they are suffering some kind of intense trial. You wouldn’t think that they would be able to give much for the Jerusalem church. But they did. They gave more than they could really afford because of the great joy their gracious God has given them. Filled with joy they gave more and more.
Paul then sent Titus to Corinth to ask them to give for the Jerusalem church. Corinth was a much more substantial church. It was on a major crossroads between the shipping routes east and west. And so the Corinthian church could be expected to give far more than the Macedonian churches could.
Here is the message Titus took from Paul to Corinth.
7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
Paul wants the Corinthian church to give not out of compulsion but out of a desire to be generous and helpful because that is what Jesus did. So if we want to be more like Jesus we too should give out of our generous hearts. Notice that Paul is not asking for something extraordinary. He simply wants them to give an amount proportional to the blessings they had received from God. And all of this is a form of insurance. If all Christians are generous then no one would ever suffer from financial difficulties.
Let me tell you an old story. There was once a church in a growing affluent community. Everyone in this church had a nice house. Everyone drove a nice car. No one suffered from extreme poverty.
One day Mary got in her car and turned the key. She heard a horrible noise coming from under the hood. And the car would not start. So the car was towed over to Big Al’s Car Repair. Big Al looked at the car and said that he could fix it, but it would be expensive and the car was just not worth the repair. So Mary went out and bought a brand new car and she was so happy. It cost almost $30K, but Mary could afford that.
The next Sunday Mary drove the new car to church. Everyone was so impressed. They really liked the color and the leather interior and the new car smell. Everyone agreed that Mary had made a good choice.
That Sunday the preacher talked about using our resources for God’s purposes. Mary loved the sermon.
Immediately after worship, the church had a special meeting. Mary attended as she always did. The pastor told the church that the road construction in front of the church was almost done and the church has a new entrance. The pastor said that the entrance was too dark at night and the church really needed a new sign and additional parking lot lighting. He said that the cost of doing these things was about the same as the cost of Mary’s new car. And he urged the church to buy a sign and lights as soon as possible.
Mary wasn’t sure how to respond. The church had so many needs. And the church budget couldn’t support everything. But she also realized that the pastor was right a new sign and parking lot lights were really needed. What should Mary do? What should the church do?
Of course, this is not some old story about a church far away. This is the story of us. We are the ones who have no problem buying a new car, or taking a long vacation, or doing expensive home improvements. But our church struggles with extreme poverty unable to buy a new shed for the mowers, unable to resurface the parking lot, unable to buy new parking lot lights and a new sign, unable to build a much-needed sanctuary. So what’s wrong? Why is a church of affluent Americans having financial difficulties unable to make the capital improvements we desperately need? It must be because we do not do the spiritual practice of giving my resources.
Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to give with these words.
9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
So the spiritual practice of Giving My Resources means that we give to bless others just as God blesses us. And as we bless others with our giving the promise is that God will bless us even more.
So if we all increase our giving right now then we could easily afford to put up a new sign and lights in the parking lot. We can resurface and stripe the old parking lot. We can buy a new shed for the mowers. All of this would be a blessing not just for ourselves but for the growing community around us. And God will bless this church with people and money that will flow in abundance. Let’s pray.
Father in heaven we thank you for the blessing of this church. And we pledge to bless the church with our financial resources. Help us to use these resources to bless the community. And continue to bless us with resources so that we can proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a community that will be blessed by you and your church. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment